The Dramatists

We have finished with the dramatists for this semester's reading. Looking back on Marlowe, Jonson, Behn, Congreve and Gay, think about the themes the plays explore and speculate on why drama is or was the best medium for those themes--if indeed you find drama an effective way to present them.

The Way of the World??

Both Fainall and Mirabell use the phrase "the way of the world" near the end of the play. Do both use it with the same purpose and effect? What does this comment from these two characters tell you about the significance of the title of the play?

Oroonoko the Noble Savage

How much of the idea of the noble savage is suggested and challenged by the narrator's description of the prince and the events in Oroonoko? We will have finished the book by the time your second posts are due, so you will have a complete picture of him.

That Satan

As we discussed in class, Milton initially conceived of Paradise Lost as a tragedy. As a character, Satan is certainly intriguing. Although we have touched on this in class, what makes him so interesting? How do you feel about Milton's Satan--not about any other Satan you might be thinking about? Also, what dramatic elements are there in the poem?